Debi Graham-Leard

After fighting back pain for several weeks, I’m coming back to my novel with a renewed zest. A scene that’s been giving me some trouble has finally got a solution. And that solution came from a combination of different comments from three different readers in my writing groups. The light has finally dawned!

The problem with the scene was based in the fact that it was mostly dialogue between a secondary character and the first antagonist, with my protagonist standing off to the side mostly listening with a small amount of internal thought. The solution was to bring my protagonist into the dialogue, accomplishing several things:

1. created another innocent suspect

2. explained some backstory between the protagonist and the first antagonist

3. revealed the subtle beginnings of change in the antagonist

My point is that you never know where the solution to a writing challenge will appear. Sometimes, while listening to or reading critique from a writing group member, I’ll think to myself, “What is she talking  about?” But then her words will fester below the surface for a while, then suddenly bubble to the top and gift me with a solution to a difficult scene.

But each change to a scene will probably require changes to the scenes that come after, as each cause creates an effect. This can sometimes drive me crazy, but I tell myself that it can only improve the story.